Leg rest for vehicle driver{40 s seat

ABSTRACT

An auxiliary leg rest attachable to the seat of a vehicle next to the right leg of the driver to support the leg and prevent fatigue and muscle strain. The rest is made of formed plastic with a base seatable on the vehicle seat and having a downturned front which anchors the base against rearward shift by abutting the nose of the vehicle seat and a side wall extending angularly upward from the base and against which the thigh of the driver rests. A resilient cushion is secured to the underside of the base and frictionally engages the vehicle seat to prevent side shifting of the leg rest due to thigh pressure. An adjustable anchoring strap secures the leg rest to the seat in desired position by means of hooks which anchor the opposite ends of the strap to the vehicle seat frame.

United States Patent Slavitt [54] LEG REST FOR VEHICLE DRIVER'S 51 July25,1972

Primary Examiner-Casmir A. Nunberg Attorney-Edelson and Udell [57]ABSTRACT An auxiliary leg rest attachable to the seat of a vehicle nextto the right leg of the driver to support the leg and prevent fatigueand muscle strain. The rest is made of formed plastic with a baseseatable on the vehicle seat and having a downturned front which anchorsthe base against rearward shift by abutting the nose of the vehicle seatand a side wall extending angularly upward from the base and againstwhich the thigh of the driver rests. A resilient cushion is secured tothe underside of the base and frictionally engages the vehicle seat toprevent side shifting of the leg rest due to thigh pressure. Anadjustable anchoring strap secures the leg rest to the seat in desiredposition by means of hooks which anchor the opposite ends of the strapto the vehicle seat frame.

2 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTED 3,679 262 sum 1 or 2 EUGENE SLAVITTWWW A r rare/v5 u LEG REST FOR VEHICLE DRIVER'S SEAT This inventionrelates to vehicle leg rests, and more particularly relates to a devicefor supporting the throttle operating leg of the driver of an automotivevehicle to maintain the leg in proper throttle operating position whilesimultaneously preventing the onset of muscle fatigue with attendantback and leg ache.

It is well known that in the use of an automotive vehicle which isoperated for any extended period of time on a continuous basis, musclestrains are developed in the lower right side of the back and the rightleg of the driver as a consequence of the seat construction in presentday automobiles. The construction of automotive bench type seats is suchthat in driving position the thigh of the driver is raised and the rightside of the body weight is supported on the right heel due to the angleof the throttle pedal. The knee is raised to such a position withoutphysical support that after a short time the leg muscles tire and thethigh and leg sag or roll outward to the right in order to provide somesupporting bearing engagement of the side of the leg against the seat.Since the foot is confined to the throttle pedal, the leg cannotnormally be properly supported by the body muscles in a position whicheliminates muscle strain and fatigue.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide a novel leg restfor the driver of an automotive vehicle which provides lateral supportto the throttle pedal controlling leg to thereby hold the leg in properoperative position so that the only muscle action involved is thatassociated with flexing the ankle for suitably operating the throttlepedal.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel leg rest asaforesaid which is quickly and easily attachable to and detachable fromthe frame of the normal bench type front seat of an automotive vehicleand which is provided with adjustment means for securing the leg rest inoperative position.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel leg rest asaforesaid which includes anti-skid means to prevent the leg rest fromgradually slipping sideways out of operative position, and which isrelatively small, light in weight and inexpensive to manufacture.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will become clear froma reading of the following specification in conjunction with anexamination of the appended drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the novel leg rest according to theinvention in an installed in-use condition;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the leg rest according to the inventionas would be seen from the opposite side to that shown in FIG. 1, on anenlarged scale, and detachedfrom the automotive seat to disclose detailsof the anchoring structure;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the novel leg rest according to theinvention as would be seen from the right side as shown in FIG. I withportions of the seat structure broken away to show the anchoring of theleg restthereto;

FIG. 4-is an enlarged front elevation of the leg rest according to theinvention as would be seen when viewed along the line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the leg rest according to the invention, onan enlarged scale, as would be seen when viewed along the line 5-5 ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a vertical section through the leg rest of the invention aswould be seen when viewed along the line 66 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal section view through the leg rest of theinvention as would be seen when viewed along the line 7- 7 of FIG. 6.

In the several figures, like elements are denoted by like referencecharacters.

Referring now to the drawings, it is observed that the leg rest includesa bracket designated generally as 10 having a base wall 11 from theforward end of which depends a front wall 12, and from the left sideedge of which upwardly extends a thigh supporting side wall 13. As bestseen from the showing of FIG. 7, the front wall 12 inclines slightlyrearwardly so that it makes an angle somewhat less than with the basewall 11. As best seen from the showings of FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, the thighsupporting side wall 13 is angularly inclined with respect to the basewall 11 so that it partly overlies the latter and provides an inclinedsurface 14 for supportably engaging the side of a human thigh.

The base wall ll is provided proximate to its rear edge with atransversely extending slot 15, and the front wall 12 is provided with asimilar transversely extending slot 16 proximate to its lower edge,these slots being most clearly seen in the showing of FIG. 7.

Overlying the upper surface of base wall 11 and the outer surface offront wall 12, and extending respectively downward and inward throughslots 15 and 16 is a flat strap 17 terminating at'its lower front end ina loop 18 to which is secured a seat frame book 19, while the other endof the strap 17 terminates in a loop 20 to which is secured a cinchingbuckle 21. A second strap 22 is provided at one end with a loop 23 towhich is secured a seat frame hook 24 of the same type as the frame book19. The opposite end of strap 22 terminates in a free tail 25 which isreversely looped through the cinching buckle 21 to provide adjustment ofthe total strap length formed by the two straps l7 and 22.

The base wall 1 l is on the order of three inches in width and occupiesso little seat space that a middle seat passenger may still beaccommodated. Moreover, no part of the leg rest underlies the driversleg so that there is no interference with blood circulation. Cemented orotherwise secured to the undersurface of the bracket base wall 11 is aresilient pad 26 made of foam rubber or of a plastic material such asfoamed polyurethane.

As best seen from the showing of FIG. 3, the leg rest is installed uponthe vehicle seat by first placing the bracket 10 upon the seat with theresilient pad 26 disposed upon the forward upper surface of the seat andwith the front wall 12 of the bracket extending downward in front of thenose of the vehicle seat. The frame hook 19 is then slipped rearwardunder'the forward bottom edge of the seat and hooked about the seatfront frame bar 27. The strap 17 is of course longitudinally shiftablethrough the slots 15 and 16 so that the bracket 10 is seated as shownwith all slack removed from the strap 17 and with the latter lyingflatwise upon the vehicle seat toward the rearward edge thereof. Theframe hook 24 secured to one end of the strap 22 is hooked around theseat rear frame bar 28 and extended upward and forward over the uppersurface of the vehicle seat where the free tail 25 is looped through thecinching buckle 21 and pulled rearwardly to tension the straps 17 and 22and compress the resilient pad 26 between the seat and the bracket basewall 1 l.

The compressed resilient pad 26 prevents marring of the vehicle seat,and also provides substantial frictional engagement with the uppersurface of the seat which effectively prevents the bracket 10 fromtending to shift sideways away from the driver as a consequence of thelateral pressure exerted on the bracket side wall 13 by the thigh of thedriver while at the same time providing a slight resilience of the sidewall 13 against the drivers leg. This is very important since a lateralshift of even an inch or two can seriously degrade proper support forthe leg. Moreover, the frictional engagement of the resilient pad 26reduces the amount of tension which need be employed in the straps l7and 22 to hold the bracket in proper position, and thereby minimizes thewrinkling effect on the vehicle seat which would otherwise be producedby the necessity for constricting the seat cross section by excessivestrap tension in an attempt to immobilize the bracket 10 against lateralshifting.

The bracket 10 may be suitably stamped and formed from sheet metal, orpreferably from a smooth plastic material which may be either athermosetting or a thermoplastic compound. Additionally, if desired, thebracket side wall 13 may be provided with suitable apertures to permitthe free passage of air therethrough.

Having now described my invention in connection with a particularlyillustrated embodiment thereof, it will be appreciated thatmodifications and variations of the invention may occur from time totime to those persons normally skilled in the art without departing fromthe essential scope or spirit of the invention, and accordingly it isintended to claim the same broadly as well as specifically as indicatedby the appended claims.

What is claimed to be new and useful is:

1. An automotive vehicle leg rest for supporting the throttle pedaloperating leg of the seated vehicle driver in a non-fatiguing position ncomprising, in combination, a substantially L- shaped bracket memberhaving a horizontally disposed flat section adapted to overlie thevehicle seat in the region immediately adjacent the thigh of theoperating leg of the vehicle driver and a depending vertically disposedsection adapted to overlie the front surface of the seat to limitrearward shifting of said bracket on said seat, said flat section of thebracket being integrally provided along the side thereof proximate thevehicle drivers thigh with an upstanding side wing part laterallyinclined away from the driver's body, said upstanding side wing parthaving top marginal edge which slopes downwardly and rearwardly from thefront of the bracket and a rounded front marginal edge which projectsfreely forward from a point spaced short of the front end of said flatsection of said bracket, said wing part being of an overall length andheight adequate to buttress the outer side of the seated drivers thighin the region thereof closely adjoining the drivers knee, and means fordetachably securing said bracket to the seat in operative position toserve as a side rest for buttressing the thigh of the operating driversleg against outward lateral movement.

2. In a leg rest as defined in claim 1 wherein said securing meansconsists of a strap threaded in overlying relation to the exposedsurfaces of said bracket through slots formed in said horizontal andvertical sections thereof, said strap having freely extending terminalend portions respectively securable to the seat to hold the bracketfixedly positioned thereon.

1. An automotive vehicle leg rest for supporting the throttle pedaloperating leg of the seated vehicle driver in a nonfatiguing position ncomprising, in combination, a substantially L-shaped bracket memberhaving a horizontally disposed flat section adapted to overlie thevehicle seat in the region immediately adjacent the thigh of theoperating leg of the vehicle driver and a depending vertically disposedsection adapted to overlie the front surface of the seat to limitrearward shifting of said bracket on said seat, said flat section of thebracket being integrally provided along the side thereof proximate thevehicle driver''s thigh with an upstanding side wing part laterallyinclined away from the driver''s body, said upstanding side wing parthaving top marginal edge which slopes downwardly and rearwardly from thefront of the bracket and a rounded front marginal edge which projectsfreely forward from a point spaced short of the front end of said flatsection of said bracket, said wing part being of an overall length andheight adequate to buttress the outer side of the seated driver''s thighin the region thereof closely adjoining the driver''s knee, and meansfor detachably securing said bracket to the seat in operative positionto serve as a side rest for buttressing the thigh of the operatingdriver''s leg against outward lateral movement.
 2. In a leg rest asdefined in claim 1 wherein said securing means consists of a strapthreaded in overlying relation to the exposed surfaces of said bracketthrough slots formed in said horizontal and vertical sections thereof,said strap having freely extending terminal end portions respectivelysecurable to the seat to hold the bracket fixedly positioned thereon.